Barriers to Increased Services and Resources for Children

Insufficient library staff is the main obstacle to providing more services and resources for children in public libraries. Sixty-five percent of public libraries indicate that insufficient staff is a moderate or major barrier with 41 percent perceiving it as a major barrier and 24 percent reporting it as a moderate barrier (Table 12).

Insufficient services, resources, or programs were cited as both moderate and major barriers to expanding children's services by about half of all libraries (calculated from Table 12). Insufficient hours of operation are also a barrier in 30 percent of libraries and almost 1 out of 5 (18 percent) report insufficient materials in languages other than English a moderate or major barrier.